Reurbanization

What is Reurbanization?

More people are choosing to live, work and invest in built-up areas like downtowns. Buildings are being reused as condos and empty properties and parking lots are being turned into new buildings with shops and restaurants. This is reurbanization.

The majority of reurbanization is happening in the downtowns of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo and within ION rapid transit station areas.

What are the benefits of reurbanization?

Reurbanization helps to:

Reuse buildings and use building supplies more efficiently

Provide people with more choices about the type of home they live in, including houses, townhouses, apartments and condos

Create more active, successful and interesting downtowns

Make better use of roads, schools and pipes, so we can be more efficient with supplying things like transit, education and water

Protect farms, forests and wetlands by using less land

Support the clean up of older industrial properties

What does reurbanization look like?

Reurbanization comes in many shapes and sizes. A Symphony of Design is a great video highlighting some of the region's finest examples of urban design. Check out the photo gallery below for recent examples of reurbanization in Waterloo Region.

Development along the Central Transit Corridor: Shaping the Community

People and businesses are investing in the urban areas of Waterloo Region. For the last five years, the Region has surpassed the Province's 40 per cent target for new residential development within the built boundary. The ION route falls within the Central Transit Corridor (CTC), which also continues to attract significant private investment. From 2011 to 2015, residential and non-residential construction in the CTC was valued at over $2.1 billion. Many of the developments around ION are high quality, award winning projects. This map highlights some of these developments. Many of these developments have received funding through the Region's Brownfield Financial Incentive Program (BFIP). Between 2006 and 2014, the Region approved 36 applications as part of the BFIP assisting with the investigation or remediation of 22 properties along the CTC.

ION Attracts Interactive Map Tool

What is the Region of Waterloo doing about reurbanization?

The Region's Community Building Strategy sets out the best places for even more reurbanization like downtowns, ION rapid transit station areas and many of GRT's iXpress routes (reurbanization corridors). It also suggests areas that could use special attention and could benefit from things like public art, more trees and new trails.

As we grow, it is important that we protect our heritage buildings and encourage people to invest in older buildings to give them new life.